The Guidance System We Need to Realize Our Spiritual Potential

Inner change does not come easily — it takes dedication and individual effort to grow. Each one of us faces daily challenges and needs to overcome numerous obstacles on that spiritual path. 

Depending on our personal circumstances and environments, our development may be aided or hampered. Just as our bodies need the proper nutrients and conditions to grow and thrive, so too do our minds, hearts, and souls. The more we strive in each domain, the greater will be our progress and our accomplishments. 

Our mission on this Earth is to realize as much of our potential as possible. 

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The Baha’i teachings explain:

We must strive with energies of heart, soul and mind to develop and manifest the perfections and virtues latent within the realities of the phenomenal world, for the human reality may be compared to a seed. If we sow the seed, a mighty tree appears from it. The virtues of the seed are revealed in the tree; it puts forth branches, leaves, blossoms, and produces fruits. All these virtues were hidden and potential in the seed. Through the blessing and bounty of cultivation these virtues became apparent. Similarly, the merciful God, our Creator, has deposited within human realities certain latent and potential virtues. Through education and culture these virtues deposited by the loving God will become apparent in the human reality, even as the unfoldment of the tree from within the germinating seed.

When we make those efforts to grow in all areas of our lives, it gives us meaning and purpose. Though we each have the individual responsibility to develop our potential, we are not alone. We must learn to draw upon and rely on others for assistance, and we, in turn, can provide support and encouragement for them. 

Defeating Negative Forces

In the process of developing our inner potential, we can also learn not to become overwhelmed by the forces that seem to be against us. By working to overcome and positively deal with these negative forces, we develop our strengths and capacities even further, much like how muscles build strength when they encounter resistance. 

This lifelong journey to achieve the goal of realizing our full potential takes time, effort, and commitment. Our principles and ideals will guide us, so it is very important to have a sound moral and spiritual framework as our guidance system. 

The higher the goals and the more persistent the effort, the greater the progress. We need not only to transform ourselves, but also, to the greatest possible extent, the world around us. As we mature and gain greater capacity, we can accomplish more — and we can eventually shift from focusing on individual growth to endeavors that encompass an ever-widening embrace of society. 

As we daily strive to realize our potential, we find increased capacity to serve others. 

Becoming mentally and spiritually stronger enables us to correct our own faults — and begin to address those of the greater society. When that occurs, we begin to master our lower natures, including our desires and ego, and to direct our energies toward the betterment of humanity. In that process, we gradually free our minds, hearts, and souls from the constraints that keep them from manifesting their inherent powers. 

As we progress in this endeavor, we also become better equipped to release the positive forces with which we have been endowed to conquer the negative forces that we face on a daily basis. We are, in some ways, like soldiers under attack, and need to both defend ourselves from as well as defeat the negative forces leagued against us in our battle for a better life. We are not alone or isolated in this clash of good against evil and need to call and rely upon higher powers and others to assist us. 

Individual and Social Transformation Go Hand in Hand

Inner and outer change are connected and influence one another. They both need to be transformed, ideally in conjunction. We affect our community or society, and they, in turn, influence us. As we serve them, they serve us. We are like cells in the body of humanity. As we become healthier and contribute our part to the well-being of the whole, the entire body benefits from our contribution — and likewise, the body’s health contributes to our well-being. 

As we become better individuals, the community benefits as well. When we individually and collectively become more mature, we affect greater benefit to ourselves and others. 

So — what’s our plan to do all this? How do we develop the qualities and abilities of our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls to positively transform our inner and outer lives? How do we manage our selfish desires and egos so they do not hijack the true potential of our minds and spirits? How do we start and maintain a dynamic process of ongoing growth?

First, we can try to create or find an environment that will encourage and support our efforts. Such an environment will be characterized by truth, love, and justice and will help cultivate these attributes in each of its members. On the other hand, we each have the responsibility to manifest those qualities to the best of our ability in our interactions with others. The more we are dedicated and unified in this endeavor, the more likely we will achieve rapid and sustained development. 

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When we operate in an environment characterized by truth, love and justice, we draw strength from one another, trust one another, act in tolerant and forgiving ways with one another, feel close to one another, and encourage one another. A healthy community will be united in seeing that all energies are directed toward betterment. In such an environment, our higher spiritual faculties are cultivated, and our lower material natures used in service of lofty pursuits and goals. The global Baha’i community, which includes people from every nation, every ethnic and racial group, every class, and every creed, tries to do exactly that. Baha’u’llah wrote:

The purpose of that which hath been sent down from the heaven of the Will of God in this most exalted, this most holy Revelation, is the unity of the world and love and fellowship among its peoples.

All Baha’is attempt to learn to discern higher truth, love, and justice from our limited and self-centered views. The insistent self will try to focus these powerful forces toward self-serving ends, but as we refine our spiritual faculties of knowing, loving, and willing, we are able to better resist the call of our selfish lower natures. Through participation in a loving, supportive community and consultation with others, we can achieve greater understanding and compassion. As we learn through consultation, reflection, study, and action, we can gradually discern what works best.  

The dynamics of such a learning environment create a positive cycle of growth and development, absent in the deteriorating cultures of self-indulgence, materialism, and individualism. Recognizing these challenges should not deter us, but rather intensify our resolve to move ahead in our quest for unity and peace.